Web Desk: World Humanitarian Day is being observed today.
This year theme of the day is “Act for Humanity”.
The day is aimed at remembering the civilians and aid workers who are killed, injured and abducted in conflict zones despite protections under international law.
With the number of aid workers killed in the line of duty reaching record highs, the UN and partners are demanding greater accountability as countries commemorate World Humanitarian Day on Monday.
Last year was the deadliest so far, with 280 aid workers killed in 33 countries – an “outrageously high number”, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The figure represents a 137 per cent increase compared to 2022, when 118 aid workers were killed.
Humanitarian deaths mounting
Worse still is that 2024 may be on track to be even deadlier.
As of 7 August, 172 aid workers have been killed, OCHA said, citing the provisional count from the Aid Worker Security Database.
The UN agency said that more than half of the 2023 deaths were recorded in the first three months of the hostilities in Gaza, or from October to December. Most were due to airstrikes.
Since October, more than 280 aid workers have been killed in Gaza alone, the majority of them staff members of the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA.
Additionally, “extreme levels of violence” in Sudan and South Sudan have contributed to the death tolls in 2023 and 2024.
In all these conflicts, most of those killed were national staff. Meanwhile, many humanitarian workers also continue to be detained in Yemen.
Unacceptable and unconscionable
Joyce Msuya, UN Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, called for action.
“The normalization of violence against aid workers and the lack of accountability are unacceptable, unconscionable and enormously harmful for aid operations everywhere,” she said.
Today, we reiterate our demand that people in power act to end violations against civilians and the impunity with which these heinous attacks are committed.”
